The Gulf of Mexico will be identified as the Gulf of America on Google Maps once President Donald Trump’s order is reflected in “official government sources,” the tech giant said Monday.
“We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources,” Google posted to its X account.
“For geographic features in the U.S., this is when Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is updated. When that happens, we will update Google Maps in the U.S. quickly to show Mount McKinley and Gulf of America.”
On his first day in office, Trump signed orders to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and for Denali — the highest in the United States — to revert to Mt. McKinley in Alaska.
The president claimed the changes are in line with his “America First” platform.
Google also said it has a “longstanding practice” for Maps users to see a place’s “official local name” when official names vary between countries.
“Everyone in the rest of the world sees both names. That applies here too,” the tweet stated.
Trump’s proposal won support from many conservatives, including Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala. and Alabama Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth.
Earlier this month on X, the lieutenant governor referenced Trump’s idea.
“Appreciate the opportunity to share our plan to widen I-65 from the Tennessee line to the Gulf of America with leaders from across the state,” Ainsworth said of his top priority. “When the main artery of Alabama is the world’s longest parking lot, it hurts our economy and frustrates drivers as they travel.”
Some businesses along the Gulf also capitalized on Trump’s idea.
Flora-Bama Lounge, Package & Oyster Bar is taking pre-orders for shirts that are all about “making the Gulf great again.”
On the back, the “Gulf of America” in red, white and blue, filling the entire Gulf, leaving room for a palm tree or two and an icon marking the location of the Flora-Bama. On the front, a smaller Flora-Bama logo and the words “Making the Gulf Great Again.”
The shirts are $30 through the venue’s online store.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum joked that if Trump went ahead with the renaming, her country would rename North America “Mexican America.” She later toned it down: “For us and for the entire world it will continue to be called the Gulf of Mexico.”